Design for a city state: experience from Singapore

Singapore emerged as an independent nation in 1965 after being expelled from Malaysia by a treaty between the two states. A small island state, smaller than some of the metropolises such as New York or London, Singapore faced an uphill task to survive right from the start. The political leadership of that time had to build a strategy and a road map to take the country to progress and prosperity. While the priorities of progression were initially centered around economic and industrial development, the need for social and educational development led to the need for the involvement of design to bring about the directions required to build a society and a country that has paved its own path and place in the world community. This paper discusses how design and design education has played out in this journey of Singapore.